A Farewell to Arms

1932
Approved
1h 20m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

7.1K

YOUR RATING

Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes in A Farewell to Arms (1932)

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Drama Romance War

An American ambulance driver and an English nurse fall in love in Italy during World War I.An American ambulance driver and an English nurse fall in love in Italy during World War I.An American ambulance driver and an English nurse fall in love in Italy during World War I.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

7.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 Oscars
- 4 wins & 2 nominations total

Cafe Girl
(uncredited)

Henry Armetta

Bonello
(uncredited)

Herman Bing

Swiss Postal Clerk
(uncredited)

Agostino Borgato

Giulio
(uncredited)

Robert Cauterio

Gordini
(uncredited)

Marcelle Corday

Swiss Nurse
(uncredited)

Gino Corrado

Italian Soldier
(uncredited)

Peggy Cunningham

Molly
(uncredited)

George Humbert

Piani
(uncredited)

William Irving

Frustrated Opera Singer
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Ernest Hemingway hated this interpretation of his novel, as he felt it was overly romantic. That didn't stop him, however, from becoming lifelong friends with Gary Cooper, whom he met several years later. In fact, it was Hemingway who would insist that Cooper be cast in the lead of the adaptation of his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) 11 years later. However, the two made a point of never discussing this film.

Goofs
A night attack is shown. During World War I there was very little flying at night and the night attacks that did occur were limited to big cities. It was almost impossible for a plane to attack specific targets in a large city, so effectively attacking people on a road in the dark was not possible, and did not happen.

Quotes
Frederic: We've never been apart, really. Not since we met.
Catherine: Not since we met.
Frederic: And never can be.
Catherine: Never apart.
Frederic: In life and in death. Say it Cat.
Catherine: In life and in death, we'll never be parted.
Frederic: You do believe that, don't you, Cat?
Catherine: I believe it, and I'm not afraid.

Crazy credits
In the original 1932 credits, the credits are punctuated by aerial bomb blasts, and every time there is a blast, a credit disappears to be replaced by the next one.

Alternate versions
SPOILER: Paramount decided, after much disagreement, to keep Hemingway's original ending and fade out after the death of Catherine Barkley. This ending was kept for the European release, but a new ending in which Barkley lives was later added to the U.S. release.

Connections
Edited into Your Afternoon Movie: Farewell to Arms (2023)

Soundtracks
Santa Lucia
(uncredited)
Traditional Italian folksong
Sung by George Humbert

User reviews83

Review

Featured review

6/10

Hasn't aged well

Based on the Ernest Hemingway novel and starring Gary Cooper, this has the potential to be a classic. The setting and sentiment are reasonably original, especially for their time, and the movie is reasonably gritty.

Yet, it doesn't feel like a classic. The romance seems trite and contrived. Overly schmaltzy and sometimes just plain dull.

The acting is patchy. Gary Cooper is okay, but Helen Hayes' performance is quite flat. Most entertaining performance comes from Adolphe Menjou as Rinaldi.

It was probably quite good in its time, and might well be regarded as one of the first anti-war movies, but it now feels quite dated.